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It wouldn't be a Friday afternoon without answering a few questions from the readers.

It's funny, but the stream of e-mails hasn't abated with the end of the season. If anything, more people are interested in what is going on with their favorite teams and players.

Here's a representative sample of some of the better missives I've received over the last couple of days.

Jason from Fort Worth, Texas, writes: First of all, I enjoy reading your blog everyday. Hopefully next season I will see more posts about Baylor winning games. I'm curious if it has been officially determined that Robert Griffin will get a medical redshirt? And if so, do you see him staying at Baylor all four years?

Tim Griffin: Baylor submitted the paperwork for an injury redshirt for Griffin soon after he got hurt. Heath Nielsen, the intrepid associate athletic director for media affairs at Baylor, tells me the Big 12 approved it in November.

It means Griffin will be classified as a sophomore during the 2010 season. I expect him to rejuvenate the Bears’ offense the minute he steps on the field.

And if he played like he did as a freshman and last season, he’ll immediately inject the Bears with the opportunity to challenge for a bowl trip. But I don’t necessarily know if he’ll stay four years. He might develop into a pro football prospect before his eligibility is over. A more likely possibility might be that he elects to compete for the U.S. Olympic team in track and field in 2012.

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Johnathan Morrow of Knoxville, Tenn., writes: I agree that the Texas job is more appealing right now and that Will Muschamp probably made the right decision to stay in Texas. But the assumption that the Texas job is better than the Tennessee job could ever possibly be is just that, an assumption, completely void factual information and riddled with bias and speculation.

I firmly believe in the right to express an educated opinion but making predictions from now to the end of time is nothing more than a shot in the dark. Give us some responsible reporting instead of playing this guessing game.

Tim Griffin: Johnathan, thanks for writing and expressing your opinion. But let’s look at the facts in one particular way. I think Tennessee scrambling for its fifth or sixth choice on the coaching job is a pretty good indication of where it ranks among the relative jobs that are out there. By last count -- and this could change after I make this post -- the Volunteers have been turned down by head coaches from Air Force, Utah and Duke (with a Tennessee connection, to boot) along with Muschamp. I can’t see that happening for a top 10 job, and particularly, I could never see it happening for a school like Texas or Florida.

Maybe back in the day when General Bob Neyland was prowling the sidelines, Tennessee was a great job. But in today’s football culture, as we can see by the string of rejections piling up on Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton’s desk, it’s certainly no longer the case

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W. Jones of Dallas writes: OK, Tim. We get it. You hate Tech. First, saying you "can't understand why" Tommy Tuberville took the Tech job, and now saying Tech is not a top 30 job but OSU is. Careful, your bias is showing.

Tim Griffin: Sorry, W., but I have no axe to grind with Texas Tech. They handled the coaching switch a little haphazardly, but I’ve got a lot of good friends up on the High Plains. It’s definitely one of my favorite stops along the Big 12 and I’ve enjoyed going up there for more than 20 years.

But the reason I placed Oklahoma State over Texas Tech was simple. Oklahoma State now has better facilities than Texas Tech. It’s obvious when you visit Stillwater. And with a deep-pocketed money guy like T. Boone Pickens, the Cowboys have the Red Raiders beat in that category. Take those two items away and Tech would be even with the Cowboys. Tech barely misses the top 30, but is still a step behind Oklahoma State.

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Hondo from Houston writes: Tim is it fair to say that Texas will have the best secondary in the country next season? Led by Aaron Williams and Chykie Brown, the Longhorns will have two shutdown corners.

Tim Griffin: Hondo, I might have agreed with you before last week, but the loss of Earl Thomas strips the Longhorns of their best returning defensive player. I do like Williams, who I think could emerge to become a potential Thorpe Award contender by the time he leaves school. Brown is a solid player, too. Nolan Brewster and Blake Gideon will have to emerge at safety without Thomas. They also need Christian Scott to emerge as a potential big hitter. But there’s still a little bit of a question mark at safety before I give the Longhorns the No. 1 position nationally among secondaries, although I expect Muschamp and Texas defensive backs coach Duane Akina to have their group productive during 2010.

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David Harris from Joplin, Mo., writes: Hey Tim, is Mike Leach a candidate for the Tennesse position? It seems like he would be a good fit for their program and his scheme would definitely be new to the SEC. What would you think of his chances?

Tim Griffin: I think if Leach was coming off his success from last season, he probably would have had the opportunity to interview with Tennessee by now. But the baggage Leach is carrying after his ouster at Texas Tech will give most athletic directors a lot of pause before hiring him. I think he’s going to have to take a job as an NFL assistant or as a college coach at a smaller-scale program to rebuild his luster as a BCS-level coach.

Leach's offense technically isn’t new in the SEC. He worked as an offensive coordinator under Hal Mumme when Kentucky used the “Air Raid” attack in the late 1990s with Tim Couch at quarterback. That association helped make Couch a Heisman finalist in 1998. Leach then started his Big 12 career the following season as he joined Bob Stoops’ first coaching staff in 1999.

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Steve Summers from Arvada, Colo., writes: Tim, what is up with Darrell Scott. Do you expect him to play at Colorado again?

Tim Griffin: Steve, I would be very surprised. I can't see Dan Hawkins allowing him back in the program, although the depth at the position is lagging after Demetrius Sumler announced he was leaving the program earlier this week.

I think Scott could be productive in the right situation. I was surprised that UCLA had little interest in him when news surfaced about his transfer from the Colorado program.

Remember, this was still one of the nation's top running back prospects in the nation in the 2008 recruiting class. If he is in the right situation, I still think he can flourish.

The question for Scott is, where exactly is that place where he can blossom?

Thanks again for all of the great questions. Enjoy the weekend and check back again early next week for another mailbag.

Here are some questions I received over the last several days from readers.

Enjoy them, and enjoy the games this weekend. It should be a good weekend of football action across the Big 12.

K.C. from Norman, Okla., writes:

Hey Tim, if there was such a thing as a Big 12 Heisman race -- and not national -- what players would you put on your list of five finalists?

Tim Griffin:

That's an interesting question. If I was basing things not only on statistics but under the Heisman’s mantra as “the conference’s best player” I would choose these players. And it’s a tough choice, believe me.

" Texas quarterback Colt McCoy

" Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh

" Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy

" Texas wide receiver/kick returner Jordan Shipley

" Missouri wide receiver Danario Alexander

The players who nearly made my list also were strong choices. But heading into the games this week, these would be the players who be invited to come to my Big 12 banquet.

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Dan from Kansas City writes:

Pardon my French, but Oklahoma State has no way of getting into a BCS bowl game over Iowa. They lost by about 30 to Texas and they also lost to Houston. The Big 12 is an embarrassment this year. You’ll see it in the bowls.

Tim Griffin:

What I was saying is that the Cowboys have got as good an opportunity for an at-large berth in the BCS as any other team if they can finish strongly. That means they’ll have to win at Oklahoma, which will be easier talked about than done.

But if quarterback Zac Robinson is back and healthy against the Sooners, I think they’ve got a good opportunity. They can have a big finish to their season. The OSU fans have one of the best reputations about traveling to a bowl game as any team in the conference. It would be their first BCS trip, which I think would make it even more special. I’m hearing they’ve got as good a shot as any other team.

And the Cowboys' grittiness I saw at the end of their victory over Colorado Thursday night reminded me a lot of how Iowa plays. I think it would be a good pairing between those two schools.

The Big 12 has struggled some this season. Injuries and suspensions have played a major part. But the bowl season will provide the conference with a chance to redeem itself as always. I’m anxious to see how it plays out.

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Charles Mitchell of Las Vegas, N.M., writes:

Tim, are the stories linking Texas Tech coach Mike Leach to Louisville pure gossip?? Or do you think Leach is ready to go to another program if a good opportunity presents itself?

Tim Griffin:

I don’t know if that specific job has caught Leach’s attention or not, but with all of the smoke about it, I would guess it has. Louisville has a very aggressive athletic director in Tom Jurich who is willing to spend big money to hire coaches. Look at what he did with Rick Pitino and basketball. And Leach has to be one of the nation’s hottest coaches, both for what he has accomplished at Texas Tech and also how fan-friendly his offensive philosophy would be.

I’ve always thought most coaches have a specific shelf life at a specific school. I’m not sure if Leach has reached his in Lubbock yet. He was able to parlay last season’s tri-divisional championship into a record deal at his school. Is he happy with that, I don’t know?

But I would think this thought would play a part in his considerations: The Big 12 South is always going to be one of the most competitive divisions in college football. It will be tough for Texas Tech to keep up with superpowers like Oklahoma and Texas at the top. Texas A&M is a slumbering giant, awaiting the right coach to turn things around. Oklahoma State and Baylor have both increased spending exponentially to stay up with the rest of the division. It’s hard to see Texas Tech really catching those big schools on a consistent basis.

But at Louisville, Leach would have the budget and facilities to match almost any of the other schools. I would think only West Virginia has the traditional support to have a markedly better program than Louisville. I think the Cardinals' program is right up there with any of them. They were a BCS-level power a couple of years ago.

Leach is also familiar with the lifestyle after working at Kentucky under Hal Mumme. He’s always told me he liked living up there. Would he be willing to return for the right amount of money? I don’t know.

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Brett from Jacksonville, Fla., writes:

Hey Tim, I just wanted to comment on your list of Big 12 Coach of the Year candidates. Paul Rhoads should be the Big 12 Coach of the Year. Why? Because five years down the road we'll all remember his amazing turnaround at ISU. Will we remember how Bill Snyder took KSU back to a north title just to get destroyed by Texas? Probably not. And about Mike Gundy? Not a chance. Paul Rhoads and Iowa State need to be recognized for what they've done. Would you have been surprised by a 3-9 record? No, neither would I. But 6-6 and a bowl game, or 7-5? Shocked would be a better description. I think that Rhoads has given the ISU program a little bit of a swagger back.

Tim Griffin:

Brett, I’m not discounting what Rhoads has done. And he might have his program in line for more in the future. But I think if Bill Snyder takes his team to the Big 12 title game with a team picked to finish fifth in the division before the start of the season, it would be one of the most improbable divisional championships in Big 12 history. And if Gundy was able to take the Cowboys to a BCS at-large berth after undergoing the injuries and suspensions he’s had this year, I also think he would be a worthy candidate. Rhoads has done an outstanding job this season with the Cyclones. I just think winning a division or going to a first BCS bowl game would be a greater accomplishment and would merit some recognition.

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Roy Bray of Omaha, Neb., writes:

Tim, you sure managed to discount the first and only Nebraska/Stanford clash ever. You omitted a highly salient fact and got another completely wrong. First, the game was played in 1941, NOT 1940, on 1-1-41. Second, it was the Rose Bowl, of all things, AND, it was the first bowl game Nebraska EVER played in! The Union Pacific Railroad ran special trains from Nebraska to that game! We Husker fans would love a crack at avenging our loss in our first-ever bowl game.

Tim Griffin:

The website I consulted just had the specific seasons that were played and not the specific dates for the games. I’ve gotten several e-mails about the Cornhuskers’ first bowl game. I should have checked their media guide before I wrote anything, just for accuracy sake.

But the first Nebraska-Stanford game was played at the end of the 1940 season. For example, the Texas national championship team is considered to be in 2005, despite playing their national title game against USC in January of 2006. For record-keeping purposes, those January bowl games are considered to be a part of the previous season. So I can see why the website had that game included with the 1940 season.

A second game between Nebraska and Stanford would be a great bowl game, not only for the history, but also for several delicious potential matchups. I’d love to see Bo Pelini and Jim Harbaugh in a great matchup of young coaches. I think it would be interesting to see how Toby Gerhart, Andrew Luck and all of those Stanford offensive players would fare against the Blackshirts. And I think the Holiday Bowl would have some interest in attracting both schools, but particularly Nebraska. The bowl will be moving down the pecking order in the Big 12’s new bowl contract and doesn’t figure to get many chances at the Cornhuskers in the future.

So for all those reasons, I’d be intrigued to see those two teams play in San Diego. In late December. At the end of the 2009 season.

Thanks again for all of the good questions. Check my blog throughout the week for some video responses to some of your questions and again next Tuesday for my next mailbag.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

The realization came a few years ago, early one morning in the Lubbock airport, when I thought nobody could have cared what I was doing.

After a long night of covering Texas Tech, I was scheduled on the first flight back home the following morning. But before I left, I knew I had to take care of something.

As I went to a bank of pay telephones back in those pre-cellular phone days, I mumbled off my list of 25 teams to the Associated Press desker in New York City. I usually tried to get my vote in by 9 a.m. -- always settling on them the night before but always looking at them one more time the following morning before I submitted them.

The teams tumbled out in my order for the week. After I finished, I tried to relax for a couple of minutes before my flight left until an elderly man tapped me on my shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir," the man said. "I think you had Michigan ranked too high this week. And West Virginia, they were way too low."

How the fellow passenger had determined I was a voter, I had no idea. But he -- as do most college football fans at that time of the year -- had his own idea how the polls should be voted. And fans don't hesitate to tell you about it, either, in person or by e-mail.

That idea infused me with the thought of how important some considered my vote. As such, I knew the kind of diligence the poll deserved if I was voting.

And the idea that my vote was being made public each week made me take even more care in trying to get things right in my mind. Because, I knew I would hear something if it was skewed.

This is why I think the American Football Coaches Association's decision to keep their final votes private is so wrong.

Horribly wrong, in fact.

Not making the votes public robs the poll of its greatest attribute -- its credibility. When that is stripped away, the poll loses its relevance.

AFCA executive director Grant Teaff argues differently.

"Why do you think they have voting booths," Teaff told the Tulsa World. "Why do you think they have curtains around voting booths? Experts believe that's the truest way of getting the purest vote. That's what coaches are after."

Teaff is wrong in his thinking. Horribly wrong, in fact. 

(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

One of interesting items that always comes up this time of year is the release of the ballots following the final regular-season balloting of the USA Today Coaches' poll. It provides you a good handle of what some coaches really think about other teams.

And it also could lead you to wonder if coaches might remember grudges or occasionally vote their friends or conference teams a little too highly -- or lowly.

There's nothing at all wrong with this, of course. But it does provide some interesting day-after conversation, particularly when the vote ends up being as close as Oklahoma's one-point victory over Florida for first place.

Take a look at how the coaches considered the Big 12 teams in the poll.

Oklahoma: The Sooners claimed the title at the end of the year by one vote, claiming 31 first-place ballots to 26 for second-place Florida.

Most of the Big 12's coaches held firm with the Sooners as the best team. It's no surprise that Gary Pinkel would vote them that highly less than 12 hours after his team had been thumped 62-21 by the Sooners in the Big 12 championship game. Art Briles, Dan Hawkins, Mike Leach and Bo Pelini all voted for Stoops. And in the spirit of full disclosure, it should be noted that Leach and Pelini both worked as assistants under Stoops and Briles worked under Leach, making him a second-generation descendant of the Stoops coaching tree.

The Sooners were listed fourth on UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel's ballot and third on 11 others, including the ballot of Texas coach Mack Brown.

Texas: Four first-place votes helped push the Longhorns to third place. One of them didn't come from Brown, who voted with his conscience rather than giving his team the maximum number of points. He voted his team second, behind Florida and in front of Oklahoma.

Texas' four first-place votes came from Gene Chizik, Todd Dodge, Neuheisel and Mike Price of UTEP. Chizik coached under Brown before taking the Iowa State job. Dodge played for Texas. And Price played against the Longhorns earlier this season, losing 42-13 in a game that was considered the biggest home football game in the Miners' history.  

The Longhorns' lowest votes were fifth, given by four coaches -- Briles, Leach, Rutgers' Greg Schiano and Michigan State's Mark Dantonio.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders finished in eighth place, two points behind Utah. Their highest votes were the second-place ballot cast by Leach for his own team and a third-place vote delivered by New Mexico State's Hal Mumme, whom Leach worked with at several jobs earlier in his career.

Nobody else had the Red Raiders higher than sixth. Among the 12 coaches who had Tech at sixth place were Briles, Chizik, Pelini and Pinkel. Brown had the Red Raiders eighth.

But their lowest vote was 11th, cast by TCU's Gary Patterson. The Red Raiders delivered a 70-35 whipping to the Horned Frogs in 2004. It remains the most points ever allowed by a Patterson-coached team and the worst defeat in his head-coaching career.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys finished the regular season 14th. The voting wasn't as varied on them as some others. Their highest vote was 11th, provided by Briles, Pinkel and former Oklahoma State and current LSU coach Les Miles. Their lowest was a 20th place vote from Florida International's Mario Cristobal. I have no explanation for that.

Missouri: Despite losing by 41 points in the Big 12 championship game, the Tigers fell only six spaces in the coaches' poll. They had fallen six places the previous week from 11th to 17th when they lost to Kansas.

Interesting, the highest ranking the Tigers got was an 11th-place vote from departing Washington coach Tyrone Willingham. Maybe there was a show of loyalty for Pinkel, a one-time Washington offensive coordinator under Don James. Other than that, the Tigers' highest votes were three 18th-place votes cast by Pinkel, Schiano and Patterson.

Missouri was left off the ballots of 12 coaches, including those of Brown and Leach.

It's always intriguing to look at these votes. The transparency provides some interesting fodder and a more interesting way to determine how coaches look at their opponents -- and their rival coaches.

Posted by ESPN's Tim Griffin

Here's the latest four-star viewer's guide for the games of the weekend. Plan your honey-dos and set your tape recorders accordingly.

A ranking of four stars indicates must-see television, and maybe even a game tape to be savored by more devoted viewers. Three-star games are worth the investment in time. Two-star games bear a quick glimpse or two for occasional score updates. And one-star games are indications that your time might be better spent at the grocery store or playing with the kids. All games will be played on Saturday unless otherwise noted.

Four-star game

Kansas at South Florida (ESPN/8 p.m. ET, Friday) -- Both teams will be trying to prove their national legitimacy in a battle between old Bill Snyder disciples Mark Mangino and Jim Leavitt.

Three-star games

Iowa State at Iowa (Big Ten Network, noon) -- Hard to believe that the game for the Cy-Hawk Trophy is one of only four this week matching 2-0 teams.

Arkansas at Texas (ABC, 3:30 p.m.) -- Darrell Royal and Frank Broyles aren't roaming the sidelines like the good ol' days, but Mack Brown hasn't forgotten the thumping that the Razorbacks gave his team in Austin in 2003 in their last trip.

Oklahoma at Washington, (ESPN, 7:45 p.m.) -- Bob Stoops didn't like his last trip to the northwest when he was jobbed by a Pac-10 officiating crew in Oregon. This game should be easier, particularly with Ty Willingham's job status being an open question in Seattle these days.

Two-star games

Washington State at Baylor (FSN, 12:30 p.m.) -- This matchup is intriguing only because a judgment can be made about the relative strengths of the Big 12 and Pac-10 conferences when its worst teams meet.

Nevada at Missouri (PPV, 12:30 p.m.) -- Rangy Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick gave Texas Tech fits last week. It won't be quite as easy in Columbia, particularly with top Nevada running threat Luke Lippincott out for the season with a knee injury.

New Mexico State at Nebraska (PPV, 7 p.m.) -- This has some entertainment value as New Mexico State mad scientist Hal Mumme and talented QB Chase Holbrook faces the Nebraska secondary. How much will the Cornhuskers miss Barry Turner? And how much will the Aggies be a mystery in their first game of the season?

SMU at Texas Tech (FSN, 7 p.m.) -- Wonder if there might be a few passes at Jones SBC Stadium in this one? Tech has dominated the series, winning the last 12 games since SMU's six-game streak from 1981-86.

One-star game

Missouri State at Oklahoma State (FCS, 7 p.m.) -- Don't expect the Cowboys' talented offense to show much mercy against Terry Allen's Missouri State team. The Bears have never beaten a Big 12 team in nine previous games.